On This Date in 1998: Randy Moss ruined Thanksgiving for Cowboys fans

25 years ago, on Thursday, November 26th in 1998, Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Randy Moss put on a show against the Dallas Cowboys.

Coming off of a 28-14 win over the Green Bay Packers just a few days earlier, the Minnesota Vikings and their star rookie wide receiver Randy Moss headed into a Thanksgiving matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in 1998 with an impressive 10-1 record.

The Cowboys had a respectable 8-3 record heading into the holiday contest after winning six of their previous seven games, so getting a victory on the road didn't seem like it was going to be easy for the Vikings.

Well, that was at least until Moss stepped on the field and made scoring three touchdowns on just three catches look about as easy as it possibly could.

Former Minnesota Vikings WR Randy Moss will forever be remembered for his performance on Thanksgiving in 1998

Touchdown No. 1

Moss began his trio of trips to the end zone by hauling in a 51-yard touchdown pass from Minnesota quarterback Randall Cunningham on the fourth play of the game.

The Vikings called a flea-flicker on the play, and by the time Minnesota running back Robert Smith had tossed the ball back to Cunningham, Moss had already blown past the Dallas defense for an easy score.

Touchdown No. 2

Minnesota's rookie wide receiver wound up in the end zone for the second time in the matchup after Cunningham launched a pass 56 yards down the field right into the hands of the talented pass-catcher.

Moss was even covered well by the Cowboys on this play, but it didn't matter, as he still found a way to haul in the pass and turn it into six more points for the Vikings.

Touchdown No. 3

The third and final touchdown scored by the Minnesota rookie might have been his most impressive one of the matchup.

Moss caught a screen pass around the Vikings' own 48-yard line, and he proceeded to zip all the way up the left sideline until he reached the goal line for another score. The sequence really highlighted his impressive speed, as none of the Dallas defenders on the field could keep up with him.

Moss finished the contest with three catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, his performance is still regarded as one of the best on Thanksgiving in the history of the NFL.

It seems safe to say that Thanksgiving in 1998 is not one that Cowboys fans like to talk about.